Darkening
by MysticShadowWanderer
Summary: Battousai has spent his time as a hitokiri convincing himself that killing is what he is meant to do. Then he meets someone new, and he finds out just how horrifically right he was...
1. Shisou

**Darkening  
**MysticShadowWanderer  
  
Disclaimer: Everyone who thinks I own Rurouni Kenshin, please raise your hand. :glances around the room::only her own hand is raised: Damn.

* * *

Prologue: Shisou

* * *

I still didn't know if this is what I meant when I told shishou that I wanted to make a difference, to help people. Somehow killing them didn't seem very helpful. But Katsura-sama told me that I was helping, and he wouldn't lie to me. Would he? I didn't think so.   
  
'This is for the best,' I told myself again as I slunk through the darkness, ignoring the cold rain that made my gi cling uncomfortably to my back. There was no pain, no fear, no regret. There was simply a blade and a man that needed to be struck down. And there was me.  
  
When the war started, I couldn't just sit around and not lend a hand; I had to have a purpose, a cause. I had to do something, even if it was to become an assassin. If this was where I was needed, then this is where I would be. When I killed, I didn't feel anything. The blood spilling under and off my blade, staining my clothes and spattering against my skin, didn't bother me. It never did. This was my destiny, my life, my curse. It was no coincidence that I could move with godlike speed. Katsura-sama knew that from the beginning, and I'd finally realized the same after half a year of assassinations.  
  
Sometimes it still amazed me how well I could move in the darkness, how the shadows seemed to mold to my frame, as if to help me to hide. Did they want to see this man dead? I wondered briefly as I tucked myself into a corner and watched him walk past, swaying. He was drunk; I didn't like killing drunk men, it seemed dishonorable. But I had no choice in the matter. If I was assigned to kill him, then he would be dead by the end of the night; I didn't neglect my job in any way at all.  
  
Nearly silently, I leapt out into the center of the room and, almost before my victim realized that he was being attacked, raised my katana and brought it down in one blazing arc, leaving a long, deep gash in the man's right shoulder that sprayed blood across my hakama.. I wiped my blade clean with a white cloth while I watched him slump to the floor, crimson pooling around his corpse. At times like these, I thought that there was possibly nothing more beautiful than watching the blood drain out of a body, than watching someone die. But I shook my head and refused to entertain such thoughts. I was a hitokiri, not a murderer. There was a difference. Or at least I always told myself that.  
  
I turned to leave as Iizuka showed up, stalking silently back into the shadows. My presence was no longer required. Ignoring his quiet calls for me to "wait up," I continued on until the darkness swallowed me.

* * *

A/N: Hope you caught the symbolism and meaning in the last paragraph there... I don't blame you if you didn't, though, since I _am_ the only one who knows the plot, besides Bando-chan if she remembers and is actually reading this. But that's beside the point. To warn the younger, less mature, and/or innocent readers, this fic is going to be extremely gory. Gratuitous violence not your thing? Then you may want to abstain from reading any more. By the way, don't worry, the actual chapters will be much longer than the prologue.  
  
Fun fact of the day! "Prologue" is actually British. "Prolog" is American, and "prólogo" is Spanish (guess who stole her brother's Spanish dictionary? :grin:). Weird how most Americans would likely use "prologue" rather than "prolog," isn't it?  
  
Translation: "shisou" - "look of death; shadow of death" Kick me if I've gotten that wrong...


	2. Shinzui

**Darkening**  
MysticShadowWanderer  
  
Disclaimer: :is STILL the only one with her hand raised:

* * *

Chapter One: Shinzui

* * *

Light filtered into my room, waking me cruelly, a firm reminder of the world that was just outside my mind. Blinking quickly, I opened my eyes and stretched out of my sitting position on the floor. Muscles complaining only briefly, I padded off down the hall for breakfast.  
  
I was greeted by Iizuka, which was a bit of a surprise, as he usually slept later than I did. I didn't say much as I sank down next to him, crossing my legs comfortably. Then again, I never said much, so I supposed that it didn't really matter. He was chattering, as he always did, making senseless conversation that did me no real good. I wasn't listening, anyhow.  
  
They asked me how I felt sometimes. I was always fine, of course, what else could the Ishin Shishi's "prized" hitokiri be? But when I sat back to think about it, I realized that I didn't even know how I felt. The closest I could come to describing the feeling was "confused," or "lost." Maybe everyone who lost their parents at a young age and had to grow up too quickly was lost. How was I to know?  
  
"Right, Himura?" Iizuka was directly addressing me now, but I didn't know what it was that he'd asked. I doubted that it was important, so I just nodded, if somewhat dumbly.  
  
"Good, then!" Oh no. "Tonight at sunset, be ready."  
  
Oh please, Kami-sama, don't let me have agreed to anything stupid.

* * *

Days were somewhat boring to me. I didn't really like to go out much, preferring to spend my time alone, only making the journey to the market when I needed something. That didn't happen very often. Some days, such as this one, I went to the temple.  
  
People stared at me when I walked past, most likely because the long red hair and cold amber eyes were more than slightly noticeable. As was usual, I pretended to ignore them and strode on as if nothing in the world could possibly bother me. In truth, very few things bothered me, and the gawking of a few people on the streets certainly wasn't one of them.  
  
Kneeling before the shrine, I tried to block out the rest of existence. The uselessness of the common human being was starting to get to me, just slightly. Respect I had for some, tolerance for others, but disgust frequently tinted my thoughts, more often than it used to, even. I used to want to help save people, but for the past few weeks, that idealistic notion had been slipping away. Not that I didn't want to aid society, but some people made me wonder if it was worth saving. It was strange, because I didn't feel superior to others, or enlightened, just more realistic, perhaps. Maybe to be able to understand life, one first had to distribute death. That made sense in the same way it was logical that in order to feel safe, one had to learn to kill. Still, nothing quite balanced out in the end.   
  
I'd heard people talk about the equilibrium between light and dark, good and evil. That just didn't work out correctly, in my thoughts. There were too many shades of grey for something like that to be true. One always had to overpower the other, even if just slightly. It didn't matter to me, not really. Maybe it should have. Perhaps, because it was my job to end the lives of others, I should have been contemplating the morality of the world, which I also was losing faith in, and I should have cared deeply about whether the dark or the light held influence over me. But I didn't, not anymore.  
  
Was I too young? That was something I heard a lot. I didn't think so, though. Youth was not a physical thing to me, it had to do more with mental awareness and spirituality, and maturity. So many of the men around me could be immature that I considered myself to be on their level. They may have seen more of the world and the way things worked than I had, but they didn't use that knowledge efficiently, and therefore were no older than I was. That was just the way things were.  
  
I shuffled to my feet after a while, feeling like I had accomplished nothing more than getting a bit of exercise and fresh air. Prayer never felt sincere to me, as if I weren't being heard. I could understand why the gods would ignore someone like me. Someone who could watch another man's lifeblood pour out into the dirt, then step over the corpse and meld into the darkness. The shadows seemed to have more love for me than the gods did. It didn't bother me much.   
  
This was what I was meant to do.

* * *

"Ready Himura?"  
  
I nodded. For me, readiness was being fully clothed. Nothing else was overly important. Iizuka seemed to think that there was some great worth to the state of being ready. A difference of opinion, I supposed.   
  
"Then let's go."  
  
There was no other choice but for me to follow him, which I did in silence. It occurred to me that I must have been a lackluster companion, as I wasn't one for lengthy conversation. Practicality suited me better. Iizuka appeared to have already had more than a few drinks; it fell upon my shoulders to keep my wits about me, as usual. Normal routine was just fine with me.   
  
"You'll like this place, Himura." All the talking had come from his end thus far, so I decided to humor him and join in.  
  
"This is a less than reputable destination, I should guess," I said laconically, glancing around me. I wasn't good at humoring people.  
  
I didn't get an answer, which was acceptable, as I hadn't expected one.   
  
Being as young as I was, I knew that I was expected to be naive, perhaps even a bit of a dullard. Unfortunately, that was hardly the case. Though I may not have ever decided to partake in any of the more debasing activities of some of the other men, that was not to say that I didn't fully understand what was going on around me. Sometimes I thought that I was given far too little credit. Maybe it was because I was so introverted.  
  
"Eh, Himura?" I wished that this wouldn't happen so often. That always seemed to happen to me when I wasn't paying attention.  
  
This time I wasn't about to trap myself by agreeing to something that I hadn't heard. "What was that?" I asked, feeling slightly obtuse, if not downright stupid.  
  
"I said," Iizuka repeated while rolling his eyes, "that you'd never been to this part of town before, right?"  
  
"Oh, right," I replied. "I don't make it a habit to slink around these areas."  
  
For that remark, I received a cold glare, and I had to fight down the urge to retaliate with a glower of my own, which I knew to be more than a just a little frightening.   
  
"Don't worry, you're going to enjoy this."  
  
An uneasy feeling was beginning to settle in the pit of my stomach, as if something was about to happen that was either very important or very bad, or both. My hand found its way instinctively to the hilt of my katana, resting there with little thought as we walked on. I couldn't shake the feeling, no matter how hard I tried.

* * *

Much as I expected, Iizuka had brought me to some sort of brothel. Not the place I wanted to be, of course. It was almost sad, how little he thought of women to resort to coming to this place. Not to mention what kind of opinion he must have held in regards to my honor. It just so happened that this kind of activity greatly displeased me. It wasn't that the idea of being with a woman was unappealing, but to pay someone for her body? It seemed wrong.   
  
"Hello," her voice was soft, infinitely feminine, yet overly sensuous. I could tell that it was unnatural.  
  
I greeted her politely, not looking up from the tea that I resumed sipping. I wanted nothing from her.  
  
"What brings you here, young one?"  
  
"A comrade."  
  
She giggled, again, sounding unnatural. What did she want, besides possibly my money?  
  
When she scooted closer, I finally looked at her. I didn't know what it was about her that was so familiar. Her bright blue eyes glittered as they searched mine, her lips pursing in thought. She was pretty, I would admit, but nothing overly spectacular so that she would stick out in my mind. So why was it that I felt I knew her?  
  
"You do remember, don't you?" she said suddenly, her voice changed from the sultry drawl that it had been to a tone that was still soft and was quieter, a whisper almost, yet was now strong and self-assured. This was no whore, I realized.  
  
"Who are you?" I ignored her question and asked my own.  
  
"Kamiya Kaoru," she answered immediately. "You may know me, but likely not by that name. That, however, is information better left for later."  
  
"How would I know you?" I was defiant now.  
  
"From the carnal knowledge that you've retained, deep in your soul, engraved into your heart but hidden away."  
  
Never in my life had I ever been given a stranger answer to a question. "What in the hell are you talking about?"  
  
"What do they call you now?" She didn't even pretend to change the subject subtly.  
  
"Himura." There was no reason not to tell her, I supposed. Besides, my instinct was telling me that she was trustworthy, and I was an excellent judge of character. "Battousai."  
  
"A good, strong name," was her reply. "Tell me, Battousai, what's your real name? And how old are you?"  
  
How did she know...? I opened my mouth to respond, but found that I couldn't. "I... don't remember..."  
  
Her eyes lit up. "Good, good," she murmured. "So it begins."  
  
"So what begins?" I raised an eyebrow at her, the only expression of curiosity that I would allow myself.  
  
"You'll see," she said coquettishly, which I found frustrating. I liked to be answered straightforwardly or not at all. "Now is not the time or place to speak of things like that."  
  
Leaning over, she pressed her lips to mine, flicking her tongue against the corner of my mouth briefly before she withdrew. My expression remained blank, and I didn't move, but my heart gave a jump and just the slightest touch left me craving more. Who was this woman?  
  
"I'll see you soon, Battousai," she said, her voice once more taking on a false, promiscuous tone as she raised it to a normal level when she stood.   
  
I was left sitting there in expressionless shock, and sat staring down at my now cold and forgotten tea until Iizuka found me there. He didn't say a word until we were out of the building.  
  
"Who was the pretty girl that kissed you, Himura?" he asked with a wink.  
  
"An old friend," I replied offhandedly, all the while unsure of exactly why I referred to her that way.  
  
"Mmhm," his wordless sound indicated that he didn't believe me. "Since when did you make friends with prostitutes?"  
  
"She's not a prostitute," I replied firmly.  
  
He laughed openly. "You really are still just a kid... What else would she be?"  
  
"I don't know," I said, trying to control my fury at being laughed at. "But I know she wasn't a whore."  
  
"Aren't you the expert, then?" He made no attempt to hide his sarcasm.  
  
"I may not consort with prostitutes, unlike some of the other people I know," I growled and glared at him pointedly, "but I do know people and I can assure you that Kamiya-san is no prostitute."  
  
"Kamiya-san?"   
  
"That's her name."  
  
"Hm."  
  
I didn't bother to further the conversation, as it was becoming pointless, if it hadn't been so from the start, and we lapsed into silence for the rest of the walk home. I could feel Iizuka's eyes on me every now and then, but I skillfully ignored him. With everything that had happened, the last thing I needed was him harassing me.

* * *

The shadows played across my wall in such an interesting way, I thought. I was losing sleep over the woman I'd met and the words we'd exchanged. That was not pleasing to me in the least, because I already didn't sleep much. Still, I couldn't keep myself from wondering about her.  
  
Who was she? And if she wasn't a prostitute, why had she been there? Most of all, her words bothered me, the ones she'd spoken just after she'd stared into my eyes.  
  
'You do remember, don't you?'

* * *

A/N: OO! What does Battousai remember? Damned if I know. Just kidding. More like damned if you guys know. It DOES suck to be the reader when I'm writing a story, doesn't it? I never really thought about how evil I was before... :shrugs: I'm still not going to change anything :grin: So, how do you like it so far? I think this is going to be a little faster paced than some of my other stories, I'm not sure yet. It depends on how the first few chapters develop, I suppose. Time will tell, as usual. Althought that's an interesting concept, since time really is nothing more than a convention created by human beings to measure their slow decay. Why does that sound familiar? I don't know... Whatever. Time doesn't exist :waves hands mysteriously:   
  
...there is no spoon.

Translation: "shinzui" - "true meaning; mystery; quintessence; life blood; blah blah blah etc"


	3. Yamiwosukasu

**Darkening**  
MysticShadowWanderer

Disclaimer: :her hand is getting really tired:

* * *

Chapter Two: Yamiwosukasu

* * *

With a groan, I opened my eyes. Sleep had been elusive last night, taunting me but never really letting me escape. That woman was the cause of all of it. Her words were starting to get to me, eating at my mind until it was driving me crazy. Why couldn't I remember how old I was, or my real name? I still couldn't, even with an entire night to think about it. Needless to say, that fact alone was more than just slightly disconcerting.  
  
She said that she would see me again soon. How soon? Why did I feel the need to see her right then and there? How was she taking over my brain like this?  
  
I decided that maybe some food would help me, and I began the routine of my day just like that of any other day by going to breakfast. Much to my dismay, I found that I wasn't hungry this morning. The pattern of my day had been interrupted. As I picked at my food listlessly, I wondered how much worse this could get.  
  
Every day I did the same thing, with a few variations every now and then. I woke, ate breakfast, retreated to my room for a while or went to the temple or market, trained and meditated, ate dinner, went out to complete an assignment, returned, washed, and then went to bed. It wasn't much, but it was consistent, for the most part, and I had begun to feel comfortable in the dullness that had become my life lately. If I didn't eat breakfast, I threw off my whole day, not to mention that I would likely have to eat later, which I never did. This was not good.  
  
"What's wrong, Himura? You're looking at that food as if it killed your mother."  
  
Oh dear gods, this day is just getting stranger and stranger. I usually was finished with breakfast before Iizuka showed up, and was spared the irritation of having to listen to him try to hold a conversation with me. I glared hard at him, setting my chopsticks down.  
  
"Oh, sorry about that," he mumbled through a mouthful of breakfast. "Don't know anything about your mother. No offense meant, of course, if offense is due for that."  
  
I left in the pretense that he actually did offend me with his remark. In truth, it really only annoyed me to have my schedule ruined, I hadn't even thought of my mother when he made the comment.

* * *

I wandered the grounds, too unnerved by the disturbance of my day to know what to do with myself. Pacing seemed to be a good way to pass the time until I could get myself back on track.  
  
"Do you always do that now?" That was her voice. What was she doing here? "Come on, let's get you out of here for a while."  
  
"No. Absolutely not," I replied.   
  
"And why is that?" she asked, lifting her eyebrows in an expression of curiosity.  
  
"Because it's simply unacceptable."  
  
"With who, your superior?" Her arms were now folded across her chest as she tapped her sandaled foot against the dirt.  
  
"No. It just... it's not."   
  
"Really, Battousai," she huffed. "That's a bit strange, even to me. You ought to just come with me, we have a lot to talk about."  
  
Practically dragging me behind her, she kept a firm hold on my arm until she thought we were far enough down the road to let me go. I tucked my arms behind my back and eyed her cautiously, inquisitive as to what she would do next. Part of me wanted to take her hand, but I wasn't sure why, so I ignored that particular desire. It was strange how I felt I knew her so well.  
  
"Don't you have any name besides Battousai?" she asked suddenly. "It seems so impersonal."  
  
I hesitated for a moment. "Kenshin."  
  
A smile lit her face. "I like that name."  
  
"If you know so much about me, why didn't you know that already?" I frowned.  
  
At that, she actually laughed aloud. "If I knew everything, what fun would there be in getting to know you again?"  
  
"Again?" Perhaps she was crazy. That would explain all the nonsense that she was speaking. Still, something within me was awakened by her words, and I didn't understand what it was.  
  
"Yes, of course 'again'. You'll know what I mean, but not yet. You remember some things, but you don't remember all. That's to be expected of course."  
  
A frustrated sound escaped my lips. "What the hell is it that I'm supposed to be remembering?"  
  
"Oh no you don't," she replied, in an almost chastising tone. "You have to figure that out for yourself. I do wish you'd hurry, though, because things are getting slightly chaotic without you around to keep them in order."  
  
Keep them in order? Now I was thoroughly confused. I'd never had anything or anyone to keep in order, and I certainly didn't need that type of pressure right now. Being a hitokiri was hard enough as it was without the added responsibility of whatever it was that she was talking about.  
  
"Come on, Kenshin," she said, tugging on my hand impatiently. "Let's go for a walk in the woods."  
  
The warmth of her small hand in mine was foreign and customary at the same time as she pulled me off the path and into the forest. We were both quiet as we walked, but she seemed happy, at least. I didn't understand why, and I didn't know why I was letting this woman that I barely knew drag me off to who knew where. Maybe it was because, for all the attempts that I made to convince my mind that it was illogical, it felt that I already knew her. Without warning, she stopped and sat down, right where she was, pulling me down with her.  
  
When she turned to look at me, her eyes were darker, more soulful. There was something important on her mind that she wanted to say.  
  
"You know... I missed you," she whispered. "I missed you a lot."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I can't explain, not right now. I know you'll understand later." She laid her head on my shoulder comfortably. "I just... missed you."  
  
The weight of her head was nice, I realized, and it too felt familiar, as if we'd done this before. It irked me that I couldn't understand what it was that, apparently, I was supposed to recall, but I found that if I closed my eyes, it became easier to ignore. Kaoru sat very still as I nodded my head.  
  
Light that gave way to darkness. All around me were burning flames, licking at my skin but not burning it. They didn't dare burn me. She was there beside me, wrapped in barely concealing silk and veils. She placed her arm around my waist as I stood on the platform, my amber eyes glaring down, surveying...  
  
Jerking my head, I snapped back into reality. I must have fallen asleep for a moment, after all, I didn't get nearly enough last night, even for my standards. The dream I had was strange.   
  
"What did you see?" she murmured.  
  
I glanced at her, bewildered. "Nothing, I was just asleep."  
  
She smiled sympathetically. "No, Kenshin, you weren't." Reaching up, she touched my face gently. "You were remembering. What did you see?" The question was a little firmer now, she was demanding an answer.  
  
"Fire and darkness," I responded slowly. "You."  
  
Her eyes brightened as she smiled widely. Brushing her lips across my cheek, she settled back at my side with a happy sigh.  
  
"Soon," she turned her eyes toward me thoughtfully, "soon we will be able to take up our places once more. Death will reign as it once did." The light in her eyes suddenly didn't look so innocent. It never was, I realized. I had just been misinterpreting it. "You were so glorious then," she sighed. "You still are. It will all come back with time."  
  
I looked down at her. So she thought I was glorious? A smirk creased my lips. The expression on my face was mirrored on hers.  
  
"Together... soon..." she promised, more to herself than me, I thought. "Think of the terror we will inspire."  
  
The quiet excitement that tinged her words was impossible to deny. Though I wasn't entirely sure of what she was trying to express, I got the distinct feeling that I was finally heading down the path that was right for me; I had purpose.   
  
It didn't surprise me much when she tilted her head upward and pressed her lips against mine, her fingers trailing over my cheek lightly. The kiss was deeper than the one she gave me last night, and I found myself unable to pull away. At the risk of becoming redundant, I decided that this was familiar, something I'd experienced before. She broke away after a moment, leaving me silently burning for more of her touch, and grinned wickedly at me.  
  
"When you remember more, you'll be able to enjoy more of the same. Now, I think it's time that you get back to... whatever it is that you do to pass the time these days."  
  
Though I'd thought she hadn't been paying attention to where we were going when she first dragged me into the trees, she expertly navigated out of the forest and back onto the main road. When I turned to go one way, she headed the other.  
  
"Wait!" I called out. "Where are you going?"  
  
"Home, of course," she answered. "Don't worry, I can take care of myself."  
  
I nodded as she began to walk off again, and started to make my way back, but I couldn't help but instinctively worry about her safety. It was dangerous for women to be out alone in these times, or in any times. I just had to trust that she could defend herself.

* * *

"Where have you been all day?"   
  
"Nowhere. Just walking."  
  
Iizuka raised an eyebrow at me, but didn't ask any further questions, which I was grateful for.  
  
"Well, anyhow, here's your assignment for tonight."  
  
He handed me the black envelope and we parted ways for the time being. Once in the privacy of my room, I opened the envelope to read and memorize to contents. The familiar call of bloodlust began to rush in my veins again; it was like this every time I had to kill.

* * *

I was grateful to the shadows as I waited for the man to step around the corner. I didn't have to wait very long before he appeared in front of me and I jumped out noiselessly. Little did I expect my attack to be blocked, but the challenge was not unwelcome.  
  
Backing off a short distance, I sized up my opponent. He was a little taller than me, and a little more heavily muscled, but neither of those things were a concern to me. I darted forward, only to find my strike parried again. Blocking his counterattack, I leapt upward, delivering a Ryu Tsui Sen that proved his undoing.   
  
I wiped my katana clean and sheathed it, stepping back to admire my handiwork briefly. His corpse was crumpled in a horrifically lovely way, blood still spilling out of his body and pooling beneath him. There was nothing in the world that could compare to this feeling, and I relished in it.

* * *

The blood washed as clean as it ever did, which sometimes didn't feel clean enough, but tonight was more than adequate. I sat on my floor, head bowed and eyes shut, attempting to get more sleep than I did the previous night.   
  
Death will reign as it once did... What had she meant by that? The prospect was, admittedly, intriguing.   
  
Sleep came much more easily to me this night, and I succumbed willingly to its clutches.  
  
_Her body, trembling beneath mine. My hands, setting her skin on fire in the darkness. Her lips, working over my chest carefully, teeth pulling at my skin every so often until she could taste my blood. I could taste her skin, her lips, her tongue, her blood.  
  
Whispered names. Hushed moans._  
  
_Then darkness, complete darkness in a way I'd never experienced before. Out of the darkness came shapes, unidentifiable, but they bowed before me. There was a man with spiked hair, wearing white. Who was he? She was at my side, as ever. There was a bond between us. I didn't understand. I didn't need to understand, because I loved her.   
  
I was holding a blade. The man kneeling before me had angered me. Within seconds he was dead, his blood staining my feet as I stared down at him indifferently. She laughed cynically, her arms wrapping around me and her lips falling on my skin wherever it showed. She loved me in return. I took her in my arms...  
_

* * *

A/N: Yikes. Sounds like Kenshin's got a bit of an OCD problem. But who am I to talk about that, since I freak out if my schedule gets messed up? Dammit, if I don't get fifteen hours of sleep, that just throws my ENTIRE DAY off. :grin: I'm having fun with this... Hopefully I'll get to have a field day with this whole "evil Kenshin" thing :does a lil dance: Listened to a lot of hard rock while I was writing this... I've decided that New Found Glory's new song is really good even though they usually kind of suck. Rob Zombie kicks ass.  
  
Translation: "yamiwosukasu" - "to peer into the darkness" yay for weird expressions... :shrug:  
  
Fun fact! "Bakahashinanakyanaoranai" means "once a fool, always a fool", although we still say that it's actually something about "stupid chopsticks." Hey, I don't make this stuff up, I just randomly pull it out of strange sources.


	4. Yukikureru

**Darkening  
**MysticShadowWanderer  
  
Disclaimer: I just learned that my local grocery store sells pocky! Happy dance time!

* * *

Chapter Three: Yukikureru

* * *

I woke gasping, sweat dripping from my face. This never happened to me. I never had dreams like these. They were like memories, vivid memories. Usually when I dreamed, if indeed I dreamed at all, I saw visions of blood and corpses, flashes of gory scenes that had either happened in the past or were possible in the future. There was never anything solid, nothing like the things I dreamed last night.  
  
What did all of this mean? I hoped it was nothing more than stress from my daily life creeping into my dreams to torment me. But somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that wasn't the excuse, that this was more important, more all-consuming than anything that had happened to me in my life thus far.  
  
In the time of one night, I felt older, centuries older. Though I never counted myself very wise or very naive before, I suddenly felt the heavy weight of memories and knowledge pressing itself on my heart. The feeling was extremely complicated and I wasn't sure what to do. One thing was certain, though: This morning I wouldn't be having breakfast.  
  
I had to find Kaoru.

* * *

"Kamiya-san?" The woman gave me a long, curious look. "She's likely still sleeping, sir. Would you like for me to wake her?"  
  
"Yes, please," I answered. "The matter is most urgent."  
  
Nodding and bowing politely, the woman went off down the hall, presumably to find Kaoru. Outwardly, the older lady had looked completely polite, accommodating even. But I could read her annoyance and disgust that was just behind her eyes. Did she think I was here for less than reputable reasons? It wouldn't be unlikely, I decided with a sigh, this was a less than reputable place of business, as it was. If anyone knew who I was, it was probable that I could be ruined for this. I was beginning to hate Kamiya Kaoru, if only for all the trouble she was putting me through.  
  
Hearing soft footsteps, I turned my head to see Kaoru walking somewhat sleepily toward me. Upon seeing me, her eyes flew open completely and her step quickened. When she reached my side, she grabbed me by the arm and dragged me out into the courtyard, through the gate, and down the dusty road. At first, I was too shocked to notice, but when she began to tug me into the tree line, I stopped, yanking her to a halt beside me.  
  
"What are you thinking?!" she exclaimed suddenly. "Coming to see me like that! Do you know how stupid that was?!"  
  
My jaw was slightly agape as I listened to her shout. Glancing at her, I realized suddenly that she was dressed in nothing more than a yukata, her hair falling out of a loose braid. She took advantage of my temporarily stunned state and led me a few feet further into the forest, hiding us from anyone who might pass, as unlikely as that was.   
  
"It is dawn," she said tersely, "dawn! And you come to get me at a damned whorehouse! How do you think that's going to make you look? Did you stop to think about that? You still have to command respect, you know. Just because you had to go through the rebirth process doesn't mean that you aren't being watched! Gods!"  
  
I stared at her, my mind completely blank. Usually when someone raised their voice at me, I ignored their words and glared at them until they scampered away, fearing for their life, but I had done nothing more than stand there moronically. The actual content of her ranting was just now registering with my mind.  
  
"Rebirth process... Why are you at a whorehouse?" was the first thing that I said. "You are mine." My eyes burned hotly into hers. "I will not have you at a place like that, selling your body."  
  
Before she could respond, I drew her roughly into my arms and crushed her body into mine, capturing her mouth in a fierce kiss. She sank against me in submission, and I made sure she would remember promises that she made in the past.   
  
"You are mine," I growled before I sank my teeth into her neck.  
  
Her hands pushed at my chest, and I let her go. She promptly fell to the ground without the support of my arms, and I smirked in satisfaction. Glaring at me, she stood and brushed the dirt off her, straightening her yukata. All the vehement scowls in the world couldn't hide the look in her eyes. She liked being dominated, and she'd liked that kiss.   
  
"Listen, I'm glad you're remembering, but please try to think things through before you send for me at dawn." Her cool words did nothing to mask the fire that burned through both of us. "Just... how much did you remember?"  
  
"Not all," I murmured. "Not enough."  
  
"Do you know who you are now?"  
  
"No. Not yet. I can't seem to grasp it."  
  
"Patience, darling," she whispered, her lips suddenly tracing the skin at the opening of my gi. "Let it come to you. For now, you cannot have me." Her tone was almost wistful as she pulled away. "It will all be clear soon."  
  
Before I knew it, she was gone, leaving me in a haze of desire and confusion. Typically, I was in possession of the utmost patience, but the situation was proving difficult. It was difficult not to want to rush all the memories back into my head.

* * *

When I was once more sitting in my room, I realized that I was accepting all of this so easily. A change of this magnitude should have been hard to stomach, but I was at ease with it. Maybe that was because this was who I was. I couldn't be sure.  
  
Sleep seemed to bring on more of the memories that I was so desperately craving, so I decided to take a quick, mid-morning nap.   
  
"Oh God, the world must be coming to an end," Iizuka's voice interrupted my attempt to get to sleep. "Are you sick? Dying?"  
  
"No," was all I said, my voice low and menacing. "And if you value your life, you will leave."  
  
His eyes were wide when I glared up at him through the shroud of my bangs. Backing up quickly, if rather clumsily, he seemed as if he couldn't tear his gaze away from me. I rose, both frightfully aware and unaware of what I was doing, stalking him slowly like a great dragon would its prey. His glance darted about, but apparently he couldn't find a means of escape, as he had unwittingly backed himself into a corner. If he thought that it was accidental that I had him trapped, then he really was a fool. The corners of my lips twitched upward as I watched him, cowering and shaking. It was pathetic.  
  
"Himura, what are you doing? Have you gone mad? Himura, snap out of it. Battousai! What-"  
  
The words hung in the air as his head hit the ground with a gratifying thump. I'd never really liked the man, anyhow. Raising my katana, I stared, nearly transfixed, as his blood dripped down the blade. I didn't deny the urge to taste it, running my tongue skillfully over the dangerously sharp edge. When the first drop of blood touched my lips, I froze.  
  
"Sire, you must be reborn."  
  
I watched the man in white, the spike-haired man, kneel before me, head bowed in respect. With a sigh, I bid him to rise and stand tall before me.  
  
"I know this, Skopos. But still, it's a choice that I'm loath to make."  
  
"Understandable, sire." He was just as somber as I. "But for your own protection, and all of your followers' as well, it must be done."  
  
"I am putting you in charge. I place my trust in you."  
  
"Thank you, sire. This is an honor most unlooked for."  
  
"You have earned it, Skopos. And please... take care of her. If anyone hurts her, it will be hell and earth to pay."  
  
"Of course."  
  
"I must ask you to leave now. I shall begin the ceremony. Not much time remains."  
  
Bowing, he left me, and I sat for a moment before moving to kneel before a great stone altar. I removed the black cloak and coat I wore to reveal the ruffled white shirt underneath. With little flourish, I reached for the long, twisted dagger that sat almost reverently in the center of the altar. Muttering a few words in an ancient tongue, I plunged the dagger into my stomach with no hesitation. That was when she walked it. Instinctively, she'd known that it was time for her to play her role.   
  
Carefully, she lifted me atop the altar. With a few words of her own, she held a phial to my skin, deliberately catching my blood as it flowed. When the crystal shone crimson, she delicately tapped the stopper in, then bent over my abdomen and sucked gently at the blood that still poured down my sides. Lifting her head, she kissed me softly, whispered promises that she would be forever mine, and left the room.  
  
At first there was blackness. I couldn't feel, I couldn't think. Then, there was excruciating pain. And then there was nothing.

* * *

I blinked and gasped for air. It was as if time had stopped while I was standing there, Iizuka's blood on my lips. That was it. I remembered now. My katana dropped from my hand with a clatter, but I retrieved it quickly and left the room in haste. They would soon find the body, but they would not find me.  
  
It was time.

* * *

I knew what all this meant, finally. The woman who introduced herself as Kamiya Kaoru had been my lover, still was my lover. I was the man fearfully referred to as the "Demon King," a powerful and terrible ruler. Because of the threat to myself and my people, I put myself through a ritual rebirth that spared us time and would redouble my strength and power. The price, however, was that I had to go through a series of trials. The wager? My life.  
  
I was in the brothel before I even realized where my feet had taken me. The women that were scattered about the room gave me fearful looks, I imagined that I must have made a terrifying figure, standing there with my hair untamed and eyes burning with fire that could rival those of hell. I ignored their stares and, seeing that she wasn't in the room, raised my voice and called to her.  
  
"Licentia!"   
  
A loud crash was heard from down the hall, it sounded like she'd dropped a porcelain basin. Barely moments later, she was running down the hall, struggling to tie her obi as she came to me, responding to the controlling demand of my voice. I leaned against a nearby wall almost lazily, watching the way the top of her kimono did little to cover her. My state of comfort was interrupted when she reached me and threw herself at my feet in a hurried bow. I shifted impatiently, and she jumped up and leapt at me, wrapping her arms around me tightly and kissing my face, my neck, my chest, whatever part of me she could reach.  
  
I couldn't help but chuckle at her exhilaration, and I took a moment to return her affections, not caring that the entire roomful of women were watching as I kissed her deeply. When we broke apart, gasping for air, she stepped back to look at me.  
  
"Oh gods, you're beautiful," she breathed. "You're back, you're back!" She was like a child in her excitement, and she put her arms back around me to draw me close. I smirked as she buried her face in me chest, making no effort to hide the fact that she was smelling me.  
  
"Licentia," I murmured, tucking my nose into her silky hair. "We have to go."  
  
She nodded and pulled away. "I'll go get my things."  
  
While she scurried off to gather her belongings, I took a seat and glanced inconspicuously around the room. The other women wore expressions that varied, some showed their disgust, but most looked wistful, if not a bit envious. I smiled to myself; I couldn't wait to extract all her promises from her, to reclaim her body and soul.  
  
It was time.

* * *

A/N: Dark stories are always so much more addicting when they're sensual... On a different note, I FINALLY saw The Last Samurai (I was going to see it the day it came out with Rachel, Jin, and Shintaro, but who the hell knows what happened to THAT plan...), and it was extremely good. Brilliant even. Yeah, I cried... but wow was it good. And I got to confuse my family with my knowledge of Japanese history. I started explaining the laws banning swords and the reasoning behind everything, and my mom just looked at me, then hit me and said "Shut up! I wish my brain was... smart..." I don't think my dad believed me though, mostly because he hates to be wrong, I bet. They did get really pissed off when I kept saying "The subtitles aren't COMPLETELY correct, that wasn't the exact thing he said." I had fun with that one... Now, I'm off to watch Interview with the Vampire again! Yay! Summer school starts tomorrow. Not so yay.  
  
Oh crap, I forgot to mention oh... ANYTHING about this chapter. And there was some important stuff going on :hits head: I get sidetracked too easily. Ok, because I just KNOW that someone is going to ask, I'm going to explain why they all have weird names. No, I didn't just pull them out of nowhere. I researched crap, but since I don't believe in any one religion, I didn't want to use religious names (such as Lucifer and the like). They have roots in older languages (Greek, Latin, Italian blah blah blah). These people are supposed to portray age and wisdom, along with evil (yay!). The original names from the anime just don't work quite right for what I want to get across. Plus, these names are so fun... Any other questions you can uh... email to me or... something...  
  
Translations:   
  
"Yukikureru" - "to be overtaken with darkness"  
  
"Skopos" - Greek; "observer" (can't remember what this is a root of...)  
  
"Licentia" - Latin; "freedom" (Actually, this is the root of "licentious," but what the hell, it seemed to fit. And it's my damn story. :sticks tongue out:)  
  
By the way... I'm being mean and not telling you Kenshin's "real" name yet :grin: It's pretty damn kickass, too. Ok, I REALLY have to shut up, because this A/N is REALLY long...


	5. Anoyo

**Darkening  
**MysticShadowWanderer  
  
Disclaimer: I'm Nobody. And Nobody's perfect.  
  
Warning: This chapter needs a warning for..... confusion :grin: Sorry everyone who wanted a lemon, you people will have to wait. To clear some things up. I've decided not to use the names "Kenshin" and "Kaoru" anymore, unless they're addressing each other in public. I'm a bit reluctant to do this (it seems almost blasphemous...), but I think it's important to the story, and it really wouldn't make sense to refer to them as anything but the names I've given them since Kenshin's discovered his "real" self now. Please remember that "Licentia" is Kaoru and Kenshin's name will be revealed soon. Oh yeah, and Sanosuke is "Skopos." I have a feeling this is going to be a real test of my descriptive writing skills...

* * *

Chapter Four: Anoyo

* * *

I glanced at Licentia, who was humming happily as she walked by my side. There were so many facets to this woman. One minute she could be skipping and playing, careless as a child, and the in the next moment, without batting an eye, could stick a knife in someone's throat. And how I loved her for it.  
  
Noticing me watching her, she smiled seductively. I suppressed a groan; she knew how I wanted her. But there were other things to attend to before that. My tasks awaited me, and I had to talk to Skopos. There was so much that I had to do.  
  
"Darling, don't look so troubled," she said suddenly. "You will overcome your trials, I know. You were always strong, and now you're stronger."  
  
"We don't know what I'll be put through," I replied darkly.  
  
"I have faith in you."  
  
I laughed bitterly. "You have faith in nothing."  
  
Hands on her hips, she stopped, right in the middle of the road. "That's untrue. For many long years, I've waited for you to return to me, and I've had faith in you." She prodded my chest with her index finger. "I have faith in you and nothing but you."  
  
"You waited for me? You sold your body to strangers!"  
  
"They wouldn't let me stay without you, they said that was part of the price of rebirth. And I accepted that. There was nothing else I could do!"  
  
"You lie! I taught you to wield a sword, you could have taught in a dojo somewhere!"  
  
"You think I didn't try that?" She looked genuinely hurt. "A woman for a teacher? I fell into debt all too quickly. I did the only thing I could to survive."  
  
"Bitch," I hissed. "You sold your body... you sold what is _mine_."  
  
"I'm sorry..." she whispered. "I really am."  
  
"More lies! You know that you feel no guilt!"  
  
"Well if I don't, it's because I learned that from you!"  
  
We were in the middle of the road, attempting to stare each other into the ground. One of us had to snap, I knew. I didn't want her to be mad at me, because even if I tried, I couldn't be mad at her. This fighting was so pointless. But I refused to lose.  
  
"You don't know..." she sighed, "don't know what it's like to feel like you've been violated, over and over again, because you have no one in the world and no one will take you in. I'd like to think that I learned something from your rebirth, as well."  
  
"What could you possibly have learned?"  
  
"To regret."  
  
I searched her eyes with mine; she wasn't lying to me. Then again, she never could. Reaching out a hand, I brushed away the single tear that coursed down her face. Leaning her cheek into my touch, she begged to be loved. I could never deny her, not now or anytime in the future. I pulled her into my embrace and lowered my mouth to hers. Within seconds, the pressing of lips became a frenzy of kissing and licking and biting.  
  
Blood dripped from the spot on her neck where I tore at her with my teeth, and she whimpered softly as I sucked and licked at it. The taste of this woman was always intoxicating, but now it was more so than ever before. Maybe it was because I'd been without her for so long. Maybe it was because there was the possibility that I would die, and that I'd be without her forever. Whatever the reason was, this was the sweetest she'd ever been to me.  
  
A purr rumbled from her throat even as her hands pushed at me. Leaving one more bite mark on her collarbone, I drew away, breathing heavily. She straightened her kimono before taking one of my hands in one of hers and tugging me onward.  
  
"We have to get home. I miss Skopos and Lithos."  
  
I smiled gently at her. Even though she would never admit it, she loved Lithos dearly, the unruly youth that he was, despite his frequent taunts. The young man was her pupil when last I saw him, but by now it was more than likely that someone else had taught him to use his darkening. At that thought, I was reminded that I had not used mine in a good long while, and I would need practice before going through my trials. My head tilted in thought; I would start with something simple.  
  
In a matter of seconds, the sky went black and the sun was covered by ominous, billowing clouds. Lightning cracked in the distance, flashing through the sky like the tongue of a serpent. Licentia laughed as rain began to pour down on us. Storms always were her favorite.  
  
"You're still so magnificent," she said, twirling in a circle with her arms outstretched. "Oh how glorious will be the day when we can reign once more. I love you."  
  
"I know," I replied with a grin, pushing my dripping bangs away from where they were stuck against my forehead. "You look good when you're wet." My smirk widened.  
  
She danced around me in happiness, and I followed her light footsteps at a steady pace, pleased to be finally returning home, to finally have a purpose again.

* * *

"Ah home," Licentia sighed as we neared the cave's mouth. "It's going to be so wonderful to finally be warm again."  
  
I nodded in agreement, it was far too cold in Japan. Taking my hand in hers again, we walked side by side into the cavern. There was a moment of searing heat and a blast of wind that signaled our entrance and simultaneously dried our rain-soaked clothing, and I stepped into my kingdom again.  
  
Silence fell over the fiery field below in a wave as she placed her arm around my waist while I stood on the platform, my amber eyes glaring down, surveying the people below me and the flames that flickered in the shadows. It was beautiful, and seeing it again made me realize how much I'd, unknowingly, missed it.  
  
In one fluid motion, everyone kneeled to bow to me. I stepped closer to the edge of the platform, which had no rails, and raised one hand in greeting. They looked so small from as high up as I was, perhaps a hundred feet or so; no one had ever bothered to measure. Licentia gasped as I took one more step forward, then threw myself off the edge, free falling until I was a few feet from the ground, when I righted myself and landed gracefully on my feet. A few seconds later, a quiet thud at my side let me know that Licentia had followed me.  
  
"You have to warn me next time," she said accusingly. "That wasn't funny."  
  
I grinned at her and she turned away, crossing her arms and staring at the ground. Before I realized it, there were people swarming around my feet, trying to get close enough to touch me, as if to assure themselves that I was real, but also attempting not to offend me. I laughed.  
  
"It's alright, I'm really here," I said, raising my voice for all to hear. "And I intend to stay!"  
  
"It's about damn time," came a voice from behind me. "I thought you'd decided to stay in the mortal world."  
  
"Not a chance in any of the hells, Skopos," I said, turning with a smile. "It's been a long time, my friend."  
  
He put a hand on my arm and I returned the gesture. We stared at each other for a moment, and then I nodded. There was much to talk about. Licentia followed closely behind me until Skopos noticed she was there.  
  
"Licentia!" he cried. "You came with our conquering hero!" Picking her up, he swept her into a huge hug and swung her around, treating her like the child she ofttimes acted like.   
  
"Skopos," she said, a warm smile on her face. "I've missed you. I see that you've done nothing to make your hair look any less stupid."  
  
The two had always been like brother and sister, and it was more than welcome to have the stability of their friendly banter back.  
  
"And you still hang on our lord as if he were going to escape from you."  
  
I chuckled as I continued on into the meeting room. Taking a seat at one of the low chairs around the stone table, I motioned for Skopos to sit as well.  
  
"Why not take your throne, sire?"  
  
"I am not yet ruler again, Skopos," I replied. "There is still the matter of those tests. But we can save that for later. How have things gone in my absence?"  
  
"Fairly well. There was a bit of trouble with a rogue necromancer, but Lithos managed to take him down."  
  
"Lithos did?" Licentia said. "He's progressed so far as to deal with necromancers?"  
  
"Indeed he has, missy," Skopos replied. "You'll be proud of how well he's done with his darkening. I think that one day he may just make a fine daemon."  
  
"Could he be a successor to the throne?" I was curious.  
  
"If you two have no children who are suited, then I believe that, with time and training, he very well could be."  
  
"Excellent. That's wonderful to hear," Licentia responded. "He's been like a son to me, as it is. Or at least a younger brother."  
  
Skopos and I both smiled at that. She would never say anything to that extent when she was anywhere near Lithos.  
  
"Other than the necromancer, there has been no trouble?" I asked.   
  
"No, sire," came the reply. "In fact, we've just recently begun to enter into negotiations for a treaty with the Dragonlord."  
  
"Really?" He nodded. "That's quite admirable, Skopos. You've done an excellent job in my absence."  
  
"Thank you, sire."

* * *

"What do you have to do?" Licentia asked later when we were resting in our room. "What are the trials?"  
  
"There are three, my love," I replied from where I laid on our bed. "I am to be tested in the Flame, the Silence, and the Time."  
  
Her eyes were somber, for she understood the meaning behind my words.  
  
"Let's not talk about it, darling," she whispered. "Let's just enjoy our time together before you have to leave, even if it's just for a short time."  
  
"Tonight, we feast," I said. "Tell the kitchens. I want the entire kingdom to be fed."  
  
"A celebration?"  
  
"Yes, my love."  
  
"Wonderful."

* * *

Spirits ran high as we ate and drank. Licentia had dealt with the kitchens as well as she ever did before, as if she'd never left. As more wine was consumed, more noise was made, and more people were dancing. I sat at the head of the table, Licentia at my side and stroking my arm with her fingertips, and looked out over the huge dining hall. It was pleasing to know that I was welcomed back, loved even.   
  
It was even more of a comfort to be back in my normal clothing again. There had been nothing wrong with the gi and hakama that I wore in Japan, but I preferred my cloak and coat, the leather boots that fit perfectly to my legs. And to have Licentia back in her normal attire was enjoyable as well. The kimono that she had worn were too concealing; I liked to see her body, to be able to touch the skin of her stomach, back, and shoulders. She was too beautiful to be hidden beneath all that material.  
  
"Dance with me, darling," she whispered in my ear.  
  
I smiled and accepted her hand; I would never deny her a dance, simply because she loved it so. She knew exactly how to move her body to entice me, to draw me in, and she knew exactly how far I could be teased until I snapped. She never let me snap; she loved to taunt me.  
  
"My love," I said, my mouth close to her ear as she pressed up against me. "Tonight you will make good on all the things you promised me before my rebirth."  
  
In reply, she dragged the tip of her tongue up the side of my neck and bit at my ear. "You can take me over and over. Make up for all the pain I've felt these lonely years, for all the bodies in the dark, and all the tears I've shed while I've waited."  
  
My hands caressed her skin soothingly. "I will make you forget all of that pain, all the bodies, all the tears. You will be mine and only mine, forever more."

* * *

A/N: Mmhmmmm... You guessed it. Lemon coming up. But... you know what... I already have it written, and I've decided not to post it on I know, I know, I'm getting soft... Usually I'd post it and not think twice, but this lemon is... well... it's a good one. In a bad... way? Or a bad one in a good way? I don't know. It's a little erm... dirtier... than my usual, and I think it would be in the best interest of the majority of the people reading this for me to just email it to them. Unfortunately, it might take a while, because I am REALLY freaking grounded now (I failed Algebra II and have to take it over... Not because I'm stupid, but because I was too lazy to do the work. Damn superiority complex...). ANYHOW! If you want to read the lemon chapter, leave an email address in your review, or email me directly at   
  
Anyhow, some REALLY important stuff went on. Most important would probably be the "almost-description" of what the darkening is. I actually didn't plan to have that in here, but it sounded cool, so I went with it. It will be further explained later, so don't worry. Necromancers and dragons will become important later on, keep that in mind... Uhm... damn, I really hadn't wanted this to be one of those weird fantasy stories with necromancers and dragons and shit. But it's just so much FUN to write. So there. Hm. Just give some thought to the dynamics of our hero's relationship with "Licentia," because that becomes important too. So, yeah, that's all I can think of. I need sleep...  
  
Translations:  
  
"anoyo" - "world of the dead" (Ok, technically they aren't dead, but if you're not mortal, then sort of you are dead. I'm not going to go into the reasoning behind that, it's way too complicated for an A/N.)  
  
"Lithos" - Greek; "stone" (Yahiko's stubborn as a stone :grin: Ok, so I was stretching it with this one, but I just thought the name fit him.)


	6. Kaji

**Darkening **

MysticShadowWanderer  
  
Disclaimer: Stupid Satan in a cup!

* * *

Chapter Five: Kaji

* * *

The first thing that beckoned me to awaken was her scent. The second thing was the feeling of her small fingers running through my hair. My eyes opened to stare into hers, and she smiled at me.  
  
"You still have all your charm," she whispered.  
  
I smirked and kissed her quickly. "I ought to be able to use that godlike speed for something, right?"  
  
Her grin widened and she chuckled quietly, shaking her head slightly. It was then that I noticed the silver chain around her neck. In all our hurry last night, I hadn't really observed much of anything. My hand stretched out to lift the chain and hold the pendant up where I could see it. As I studied it, I realized that it wasn't a pendant, but rather a tiny phial, and that it was tightly sealed to prevent the blood inside from leaking.  
  
"Mine?" I asked.  
  
"As am I," she replied.  
  
The thought was comforting; after years of waiting, she still wore the blood that she'd taken from me when I first began my rebirth. Magick was likely keeping it in liquid form, as it seemed unlikely that it would have lasted so long.  
  
"Diabolos," she whispered. "I love you."  
  
"I know," I said with a smirk. I leaned forward to kiss her again. "I love you, as well."  
  
She smiled happily and nestled into my embrace, her naked body sliding against mine in a way that was most tantalizing. At the moment, though, I just wanted to hold her. It was enough to be close to her, and feel her heartbeat next to mine.  
  
"You smell the same as you used to," she murmurs against my skin. "Almost."  
  
"Almost?"  
  
"You smell wiser, older," is her response. It was a bit bewildering to me, because I've never had the gift to interpret scents like she could. "You've gained more power." Her lips caressed my collarbone briefly. "You are more dangerous now. I'm afraid for you."  
  
My hand comes up to stroke her head comfortingly. "There's no need to be, love."  
  
"Just promise me that when you start your trials tonight that you'll be careful." She breathed in deeply. "I like you this way. The danger... it's exciting."  
  
She nipped at my skin and I took her lips in a gentle kiss that built slowly in intensity. For the first time in a long time, she made it pleasurable to wake up in the morning.

* * *

"Are you sure about this, sire?" Skopos questioned, not for the first time. "If we lost you..."  
  
"I am sure, Skopos," I assured him again. "I understood what would happen when I began the rebirth process, and now I must go through the trials. I will not be kept from my throne."  
  
I briefly considered leaving instructions with Skopos, but, remembering that he'd gotten plenty experience while I was gone, decided against it. He would have no more problem ruling during my trial period than he did during my rebirth and remembrance. Gathering my nerve and my cloak, I nodded to him as I passed, stopped to kiss Licentia quickly, and walked on.  
  
The feeling of solitude pressed itself upon me almost immediately as I made my way toward the Dirus Province; I tried to tell myself that it was a trick of my mind, but at heart I knew the truth. Only those doomed to die traveled this road, only those with no hope left. But I refused to resign myself to that fate. I would not die here, there was still too much for me left to do. I would live to see death rain down on the world of the living. They would know me as the teacher of pain and suffering; Licentia would be by my side as the herald of torment.  
  
Why I desired this above all else, I wasn't entirely sure. Of course it was in my nature to love blood and misery, but why I strove to make my place in the world as what one might call a type of supreme ruler was somewhat beyond my reasoning. I'd always wanted this, though, that much I knew. Before my rebirth, I'd felt the intense need to show the mortal realm just how powerful we could be, and teach them the proper respect for my people. The truth of the matter was, the number of humans that were even aware of our existence was dismally small; it was the same with all those that dwelt within my realm, though.  
  
The Dragonlord, who reigned over the territory adjacent to mine and was a sometimes-ally, had long voiced his discontent with the utter ignorance of the human race. For as long as I could remember, which was quite a long time, he'd been all in favor of opening a full-scale attack upon the mortal world. The other members of our High Council, however, always restrained him; the planning would simply have taken too much effort and have been too much of a risk with the threat that was facing me. Having the supreme ruler of the High Council assassinated would have thrown the entire realm into disarray in an instant. When I thought about it, the council was really more of a formality than anything else, a sort of meeting place for the rulers of each territory to converge and voice their opinions. In the end, my word was decisive, and anyone who thought to challenge me was killed. Most of the members of the council rarely even bothered to make an appearance at meetings, partly because of their hatred of each other (and me), and partly because they knew that I looked after my own peoples' interests with little regard to anyone else's. Despite the fact that I was generally disliked by the majority of the other territorial leaders, I was respected and feared, and that bode perfectly well with me. That was the way our world worked, and I reveled in it.  
  
The air was stifling and completely still as stepped up to the roadside hovel. It was small, dilapidated, and made of old, rotting wood. Even I had never been here before, but I knew that this particular building was old enough to be considered ancient. If it's choice material wasn't enough (wood hadn't been used in our realm in thousands of years, mainly because of the lack of trees), the carvings on the walls and surrounding rocks would have been sufficient. Not many people knew the ancient languages, but a small grin crept onto my face as I read the equivalent of ancient graffiti. This road having only been used by prisoners sentenced to the most painful deaths imaginable and those having to be tested as I was about to be, the carvings were less than polite. There were a few that were simply names (unrecognizable, of course), but I read some things that even I wouldn't care to repeat. Some of the fresher marks flung scathing insults at none other but myself, and I read with distracted interest, but it wasn't anything that I hadn't heard before. One could hardly expect to be liked by prisoners you'd sent to be tortured and killed in ways that the mind could scarcely comprehend. I was too concerned with the tasks ahead of me to give much attention to the words of dead men.  
  
As all before me that underwent the rebirth process, I was sentenced to go through three trials to prove my worthiness. Rebirth provided a host of new power for those who were both strong enough to complete the ritual and to survive the tests. My original reason to be reborn was practical. At the time, the quickly dying people of Diakonos harbored the fierce desire to see me assassinated. The race had long been used as my peoples' slave labor, but because of their inherent weakness, were being worked to death, a problem that was rather meaningless for us but that they were more than just slightly angered by. The remaining three thousand or so were desperate to see me dead, and while they were frail, they were cunning, and we had little doubt that they would fail in the attempt. The situation was unavoidable, and it was best that I choose then to come into the powers that I would gain with the rebirth. With conditions that were ideal, I had an option that would render me rather unvanquishable. The time was right. But now I had to pay the price for my choice, which I did not regret.  
  
The trials progressed in their difficulty. The Trial of the Flame was not overly challenging, but long and unpleasant; it was meant to wear down the one being tested. The Trial of the Silence was not only arduous but extremely painful. The Trial of the Time was one that was not often administered, and I had to admit that I was somewhat surprised that I would be to put to it. The Time was an infamous name, whispered from person to person but never spoken of without a sense of dread. Though most of my people would never have to take any sort of trial, the Time was still frightening, even though exactly what it entailed was unknown. The only certain thing known about the Time was that everyone who had thus far been put to the task had gone insane and died shortly thereafter. Even with my newfound strength and my skill with my darkening, I was apprehensive at the thought of attempting the Trial of the Time.  
  
Pulling myself out of my deliberation, I stepped through the sagging doorway of the hovel, and was instantly assailed by the scent of death. Though Licentia was the one who was gifted with scent, I was the master of death. The smell of this demise was old, unfathomable even. It was the kind of heavy odor that came from deep sorrow and excruciating pain, and that hung in the air until the world's ending. This was what I wanted the entire world to smell like under my rule. I breathed in deeply, losing myself momentarily in the morbid beauty of the aroma.  
  
But there was something more important at hand, and I had to face the reality of what was before me. There was but a single door on the opposite side of the hovel; I reached out and shoved it open with force. The scene of the other side of that door was vastly different from that which was just behind the hovel. I stepped through the door, knowing that if I failed, no one would be able to find my body.  
  
I had heard plenty theories and religions during my time in the Earth realm, and I decided immediately that if there was anything that resembled the Christian Hell, this was it. I stood on a rocky outcrop, just barely large enough for me to be able to stand on without tumbling to my death, above a pit of flames that seemed to be bottomless. To my right, there was a thin, steep staircase that was carved into the rock wall. Looking up, I could see nothing but rock on all sides of me that faded into black where I could no longer see.  
  
"Well this is disagreeable," I mumbled through a sigh. There was no one about, no instructions to be heard or seen, so I started the descent.  
  
I was only able to take three downward steps before the intensity and closeness of the flames became a concern. Usually fire was nothing that I had to trouble with, because of my power over it, but it was clear that the first trial wouldn't be so simplistic. With another sigh, I closed my eyes briefly to concentrate. The flames flickered, but refused to be extinguished, and I growled low in my throat. I did not like to be denied, but I did what I could and pushed the flames nearest me away. It was the best I could do.

* * *

Five hours later and I was still climbing down stairs while holding back the flames. The stairs continually got steeper and thinner until I was forced to practically scrape myself along the wall, which was slightly painful. To use one's darkening for such an extended period of time was wearying, though I wasn't close to being depleted. Still, when my attention would slip, as happened more than once, to my great shame, the flames would leap at me and I would have to push them back while attempting to put out whichever part of my body happened to be on fire.  
  
By the time I reached the floor of what I had come to think of as a canyon and the flames shot up into nothingness, I could feel blood dripping from several places of exposed skin, and I could smell my own flesh and hair smoldering. My entire body ached as I removed my half-burned vest and blackened shirt. Thankfully, I'd made the decision to leave my cloak with Licentia, and now praised my foresight.  
  
Leaving my ruined clothing at the base of the stairs, I dragged myself across the canyon floor to the next door. It was unlikely that I would get any sort of a reprieve, and I knew that the flames would return at any moment. My body protested as I flung the door open, but I didn't have the luxury to rest and heal my wounds before I moved on.  
  
The next trial awaited me, and though I was less than eager to face it, I stepped through the doorway to meet the Trial of the Silence.

* * *

I wrote this a while ago... like two weeks... so here's the old A/N...

A/N: I just realized something. :sheepish look: The "darkening" is kind of similar to the Stephen King thing with the "shining"... Oh well. I didn't steal it from him, and it's a different concept, sothereha! :sticks tongue out: Anyhow, I just got back from vacation, and while I was there I wrote all of... oh... five sentences, maybe. But I do have a kickass new statuette of Anubis, so maybe he can inspire me :grin: I learned how to tie a bowline knot, too. At the original Benjamin's Calabash Seafood place, actually... I don't think the waitress was too pleased when I yanked out my shoelace to practice the knots in the picture on the wall (yay for ship-themed restaurants!) I can't get the knot out of this string though...  
  
Oh yeah... the story... Let's see, what went on...? Not much that isn't fairly self-explanatory, I think. This stuff just makes itself up as I write it... I had NO clue what the Trial of the Flame was going to be. It actually came to me only after I wrote the part with him standing on the outcrop. Cool, huh?  
  
Translations:  
  
"Kaji" - "a fire; on fire" (boring, but it works)  
"Diabolos" - Greek; "accuser, slanderer" (the root of the words "devil" and "diabolical")  
"Dirus" - Latin; "fearful, threatening" (root of "dire")  
"Diakonos" - "servant" (don't remember what in the hell this is the root of...)  
  
By the way, you may or may not be wondering about the disclaimer, depending on whether or not you remember what it said. My friend Aisu and I wanted ice cream at exactly 4.37 Thursday morning. Because it was vacation, my dad bought about five million boxes of ice cream. So, obviously, we got out the Moose Tracks, because, well, why on earth would you want to eat anything else? I was trying to scoop the stuff out but it was REALLY frozen, so it was extremely difficult, and because it was 4.37 AM, I wound up expressing my frustration by saying "Stupid Satan in a cup!" I'm not sure why, but I think I meant to say "This ice cream is like Satan in a carton," or something that would have been at least SLIGHTLY coherent. As it was, we wound up staying up until 5.30 AM, because we couldn't stop laughing about Satan in a cup. It WAS highly amusing. Then the next night at dinner, some little girl had ice cream, and Aisu goes "OH MY GOD! SHE'S GOT SATAN IN A CONE!!!!" Good times... Ever tried going to your local ice cream shop and asking for "a chocolate Satan in a cone with rainbow sprinkles"? Do it. It's worth it. There's also the thing about Duane E. Scott, the elevator Necromancer, but that's a story for another time...


	7. Akenisomaru

**Darkening**

MysticShadowWanderer  
  
Disclaimer: The damn psychic monkeys have stolen my disclaimer.

* * *

Chapter Six: Akenisomaru

* * *

What awaited me on the other side of the door was blackness. I blinked rapidly as I let my eyes adjust, but where I would usually have no problem seeing, there was nothing. With a heavy sigh I held out my right hand, palm upward, and focused my energy. After a few moments of effort, a bright orb of red light blazed from my opened hand. My eyes widened when I saw what surrounded me. There were people everywhere, hordes of sunken and swollen faces. Not only were these people, they were dead.  
  
My breath left me in what should have been a sort of a rushing sigh, but it made no sound. My mouth opened and shut, but no voice left my throat. Where I would have growled in frustration, I did nothing but grit my teeth and snarl slightly. I didn't know what to do, but it was becoming increasingly draining just to keep the light from being extinguished; after the constant use of my darkening in the previous trial, even I was tired.  
  
And now I didn't know what to do. The blank, ugly faces around me offered no clue as to how I needed to go about completing this trial, so the only thing I knew for certain was that I had to find some other source of light before my energy was completely depleted. With a shrug to myself, I flung my hand outward, watching with pleasure as the orb rushed forward in an arc of brilliant light and hit one of the stoic people standing near me. The body burst into flames of red as if it had been made of paper. I'd expected as much, but what was disconcerting was that all of this happened with no sound.  
  
Apparently more than slightly irked that I'd just set one of their own ablaze, the rest of the bodies, foul-smelling and rotting, lurched toward me. I gave a noiseless sigh and unsheathed the katana that was hanging easily by my side. Sometimes I forgot about it, because not only was it a weapon that I'd just recently begun to carry with me, it had become a part of me in the time I'd spent in Japan.  
  
Usually I would have dispersed them with a few movements of my head and a mere thought, but it seemed better to save my strength for the unknown perils that I would have to face. What was the saying? "Better safe than sorry," was it? I hadn't really lived my life that way, but it made sense in this particular situation.  
  
Soon I realized that I was going to either need more light or have to go by my other senses as I hacked my way through a sea of odorous bodies, because I was moving forward, but my light was not. It was a problem that was easily enough solved as I set a few more bodies aflame, but I stopped for a moment, only moving to separate the heads from the bodies that continued to come at me.  
  
If this was all, what was the point? All I had seen thus far was a stony floor and people that were dead and insisted on making this more difficult for me. Silence was nothing I couldn't handle, right? I nodded to myself, and strained on through the bodies.  
  
I could feel their grimy skin against mine, their hands grasping at my arms and hair, their brittle, yellowed fingernails scraping at my body. And I couldn't stop it, despite the itch that crawled across me, the overwhelming desire to squirm and throw off the repulsive scent and the feeling that their hands were creeping all over me. Touching, groping, grasping, decaying skin flaking off to cling to my skin, to shower in my hair. I fought back the urge to gag as I moved on stalwartly. There was nothing I could do.  
  
Even the "Demon King," the "Lord of Death," could be so affected. Where I'd thought I was unassailable, that death could not touch me, I found myself lacking. I choked back a scream, one of frustration and disgust, that I knew would be useless and soundless. I was lacking, and that would be rectified. Through my hatred I knew that I was learning, and if only I made it out of this, I would become stronger.  
  
Gritting my teeth, I set my chin a little more defiantly forward and lifted my head to glare with fierce amber eyes at those that would stand before me. I could handle this silence, and these bodies. Silence could not defeat me.

* * *

An hour and several hundred bodies later, was beginning to think that I was wrong. The silence, the absence of the satisfying sound of my sword slicing through flesh, began to make me wonder if it was just me. The zombie-like people around me seemed to be hearing just fine and would, in fact, cover their ears whenever I would send my blade into one of their comrades. It was becoming increasingly obvious that whatever I had to do to get out of here, this was not it. Perhaps the answer lay upward.  
  
Though levitation was never my strongest point, it would have to become so, if only for the duration of this trial. Sheathing my katana, I lifted upward, soundless wind rushing past my ears. I was lost in some sort of continuum, and my hearing had disappeared. But unlike when one's eyes are blinded and the other senses are heightened, I was beginning to realize that as I rose higher, I could no longer see. All I could make out below me were scattered lights from where bodies still blazed. I stopped my ascent and moved forward; this would be the end of me, I was sure.  
  
I could not just go on forever, not knowing what I was to do and without any sound. Slowly, it was driving me insane. To keep myself from losing my grip on reality, which I wasn't entirely sure of at the moment, I thought back to my earlier musings. The Silence was to be arduous and extremely painful. Arduous I could agree with, but painful? I had felt no pain other than the dull ache of overworked muscles. As I realized this, a loud ringing sounded throughout the realm, and I shouted, silently, and clapped my hands to my ears. Too late, I knew the consequences of my action. By drawing my attention away from my levitation and by disrupting the flow of my energy with the sudden movement of my hands, I had doomed myself.  
  
My body dropped through empty space, and I felt what I could not hear. And as I fell, there was nothing but the shrill ringing of empty chimes, thin metal being struck over and over. My hands clamped desperately over my protesting ears, but it was to no avail. The sound, that hideous sound, passed through my hands as though they weren't there, and still I fell. I could not reclaim my focus with that noise, and could do nothing but fall.  
  
Darkness swept past me, darkness and colors and emotions, hatred and love, fear and courage. I didn't understand, but at the same time I did. And I didn't know what to do, didn't know how long I'd been falling. All I knew was that it hurt, it hurt now and it would hurt.  
  
My fingers were stuffed in my ears but I pulled them out at the feeling of something sticky and wet. Eyes wide, I recognized the substance as blood, but for some reason, it didn't matter that my ears were bleeding. I only hoped that my eardrums would burst so that maybe, oh please, that maybe these chimes would stop ringing in my head.  
  
Just when I thought I might reach for my katana and kill myself to stop the sound, end the horrific torture, my body hit the ground. There were no bodies to cushion my fall, and certainly no accommodating hands to catch me, and I hit the stone floor with all the force of a falling anchor dropped from a mountain. In that instant, one terrifying, excruciating instant, I felt my bones snap.  
  
I relived that moment a thousand times in one second. I could see it all clearly, as if I were standing to the side and watching myself fall. My body, arched upward in a kind of agony that could take a man over, slowly fell, and I saw my legs buckling, snapping like sticks in the palm of a god's hand as they attempted in vain to catch me. I watched in astonished horror as I crumpled, as my spine cracked and popped down it's length, each vertebra slipping out of place until my head and neck crashed to the ground, the back of my skull flattened and my eyes squeezed tightly shut against the pain.  
  
Tears streamed down my face, and I couldn't lift an arm to wipe the shame away. Never before had I imagined a hurt like this, and I could see the blood pooling around my body, a river of crimson that seeped out of my. And I just lay there. And I knew I had to be dead. I could only wait now for whatever justice might be done upon me.

* * *

A/N: Heh... now THAT was a mean place to stop. Also a good place to stop, though, even though the chapter was shorter. Fear not readers, for this is only the chapter that ends, not the story. I shall continue on and the fate of our oh-so-sexy-and-wonderfully-dark hero will be resolved! Will he die? Will he live? Will I ever get a Ferrari Enzo? Oh and by the way (shameless plug time), I've got an original story that I've just started to work on. I'm planning on posting it on under the penname Kurenai Seito and with the title "Broken Wings." It's dark, it's angsty, it's sexy, and it's about Egypt, so don't miss it! (I told you I'm shameless. But I really would be honored if anyone would read it when I get it posted.) Anyhow, I don't think there's much in this chapter that needs explaining. However, I received a bit of confusion about the names I've been using in this story, so I'm going to lay them out again, just to lend a hand to my dear readers.  
  
Diabolos -- Kenshin

Licentia -- Kaoru

Skopos -- Sanosuke

Lithos -- Yahiko  
  
Nobody else has been named yet, but when I bring them in, don't worry, I'll refresh your memories!  
  
Translations:  
  
"Akenisomaru" - (expression) To welter in blood.  
  
Beware the psychic disclaimer-stealing monkeys.


	8. Jouki

**Darkening**

MysticShadowWanderer

Disclaimer: There are drivers... there are passengers... and then, there are those damn pedestrians.

* * *

Chapter Seven: Jouki

* * *

The feeling of disembodiment was unsettling, even though I should have been used to it from the meditation and astral projection that I employed nearly every day. What preoccupied my mind at the moment, though, was that I'd been practically yanked from my body in the instant of my death but I was still sitting here on the ground, outside my body and wondering how to proceed. It seemed to me that from the accounts I'd heard from others that this was roughly the time that I should be dead. It looked as though my body was lifeless, but from my experience and instinct, I was in no way ready to leave the realm of the living. Besides, I wasn't about to let something as meaningless as Death stand in the way of my ambitions. What was I to do then?

I drummed my spectral fingers against the ground and they seemed to move with all the adeptness that I typically possessed. A slow thought was traveling through me, and it seemed the proper time to pay it some heed. Cautiously I made my way closer to my physical body, still broken and bleeding, and stretched out my phantasmal arm to trail my fingertips down my own face. The sensation was jarring; it was as if I could feel the touch both physically and metaphysically, and I shivered. Closing my eyes, I gathered all the energy I could muster into a large, hotly burning sphere, and I shoved it from my hands into my tattered corpse. I watched with wide eyes as my body convulsed and my chest began to rise and fall again.

This was the answer, then. I had to heal myself. I sighed heavily at the prospect, because healing had never been my art. It had always been left to the woman that was always arguing with Skopos, Nutrire. When it was my only choice, however, I vowed to perfect the skill. I rested my hands at my temples, ignoring the feeling of my own cold blood beneath my fingers, and allowed a steady stream of energy to enter my body. I observed intently and in amazement as I saw my bones mending themselves, my spine straightening, and my head rising to rest naturally, though still not comfortably, against the stone floor. It seemed that in the past I had not given the proper respect to the powers of the Healers.

My body, I'm not sure which, perhaps both, gave a lurch, and I gasped as, with no notice whatsoever, I felt myself spiraling downward. Almost violently, if such a thing was possible, my eyes flew open and I realized that my spirit was once more housed within my physical body. Tentatively, I lifted a hand off the cold floor and held it up in front of my face. It was real enough to satisfy me, but I found the entire experience a bit unnerving at best. Better to ignore it and move on, I decided. Licentia was waiting, and so was all the world that was so unaware of the power that writhed just moments away.

I was taking a moment to collect my thoughts and reacquaint myself with my body when I realized that the scenery around me had changed and was changing more quickly the more I focused on it. My head began to spin with the rapidity of it and I squeezed my eyes tightly shut almost against my will. Power seethed around me, almost tangible, and I could see the strings of energy in my mind as the constricted my chest and made it hard to breathe. Could words have escaped the tightness of my throat, curses would have rang out through this strange world that was unfurling around me. Everything was white, distorted, and out to get me.

I couldn't tell what existed and what was my illusions fragmenting, and as the Time overtook me, I opened my mouth in a long, silent scream.

* * *

Every muscle in my body ached, but I dragged my feet onward without faltering; stopping for a rest was not among my options. I had to get back, had to see her. She was the only one who would understand, though how that was possible I was unsure, for even I didn't understand.

Millions of images swam through my mind, which felt like it was broken in a horrible way. There was nothing but this endless suffering in my bones, in my head, in my soul, and I didn't know how it came to pass. I couldn't even remember.

This was why everyone was so very frightened of the Time, even though very few were put to such a test. It felt as though I had been through Hell and back, quite figuratively speaking, and the thought was almost enough to make me laugh. On a good day I would have at least chuckled, but having known Hell and recognizing that I had been put into a situation far worse had me in a mood that, to make the understatement of the last few millennia, was foul.

Though I did not hesitate to make my way forward, I was beginning to stagger, which tore at my pride. I glanced around me, but there was nothing in sight, nothing for miles upon miles, and it seemed as though I had been struggling homeward for hours on end, and even I grow weary at times. After what I had been through, I told myself that I was well entitled to a bit of fatigue. While agreeing with myself upon this sentiment and allowing myself to take some satisfaction in the fact that was just now dawning upon me, that I had passed the trial of the Time, I found myself at the mercy of a curious new sensation: the hard, red sandstone ground was rushing up to meet me.

* * *

Upon awakening, I would have sat bolt upright had I been in control of my body, but to my great dismay and slight panic, I was unable to move at all save to open my eyes. In great frustration, I shifted my gaze to its farthest reaches but was unable to discern my location. By the feel of it, I was lying on a lumpy, uncomfortably thin straw mattress, and that led me to believe that I was in the home of someone who was not well off. Right away I knew that I was not in my homeland, because I had made sure long ago that no one would fall into this level of poverty. Despite how strict and even cruel I could be, my people were taken care of.

There was no one in the room, and I sent my senses out as far as I could manage in my debilitated state but still found no other living beings. This was proving to be a most nonadvantageous situation, and I was beginning to feel anger stirring within me. Never in my long life could I remember being quite this irritated.

After my initial outrage, it came to my attention that I was feverish, no doubt an after-effect of my ordeal. My eyes swam, just slightly, around the edges, making peripheral vision more than a slight challenge. With a sigh I released the tension that had been building in my body and allowed my eyes to slide shut. There was nothing to do now but sleep.

* * *

"Oh, you're awake!" I didn't recognize the voice of the woman who was speaking, presumably, to me. In response I could only groan, still unable to move. She leaned over me with a look of sympathy on her face. I wondered who she was, where I was, and, most importantly, how in the hell I had wound up with whomever she was wherever I was.

"Poor thing, you must have been through somethin' most horrible," she said in an accent that I couldn't place. The panic I had fought down earlier broke over me again, because I knew all of the accents of my realm and this one was unfamiliar. "I sure hope you're comfy, 'cause I'm doin' the best I can, honey."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes, though I knew I shouldn't. After all, this woman had taken me in and seen to my relaxation to the full extent of her abilities, and the way she spoke was certainly not any fault of hers. But I had never had enough patience to deal with the elderly, and she looked to be more than halfway through her life expectancy. That fact hit me as a cold, brutal shock. In my realm, one rarely saw an Elder, for they had their own communities where they were able to rest peacefully until their deaths, and it took my people thousands of years to advance to such an age. Few ever made it that far in life, fatal accidents tended to take them before such a point.

"Where am I?" my words came out as little more than a hoarse whisper.

"Darlin', you're in the Khasma. Didn't you know?" She seemed genuinely taken aback.

"Where in the fuck is that?" My terror was beginning to take over; I had to control myself and quickly.

"Pardon your language," she said absently before she answered, "Doll, you must have hit your head somethin' awful, because if you made it to the Khasma, you had to have known where it is. It don't work any other way."

"I'm afraid I don't understand," I rasped, taking a few deep breaths to level myself.

"I found you on the roadside, not five feet from the Sign," she replied, a mask of confusion settling over her wrinkled features and clouding her eyes. Her eyes were almost as blue as Licentia's, I noted distractedly. "Why, you must have known where you were headin', love. No one comes here unless they come to be saved."

"Saved?"

"Why, from that nasty brute of a king, Diabolos." To my great shock, she spat on the ground at her feet when she said my name. "Only the exiled and the damned come to the Khasma. Unless you're already dead, honey."

My eyes felt like they would fall out of my head if I were to open them any wider. There was no such place as the Khasma, I had never heard of it. And I most certainly was not dead. Was I?

* * *

A/N: Oooo! A twist! A plot twist that even I didn't forsee. Well I'm just as anxious as you guys (provided that you're anxious at all) to see where this is going. I must say, though, that I don't feel my writing style was quite up to par for this short chapter. I'm hoping that's because it's almost 4 AM. Yeah... let's go with that... But still! An update! Yay! It's been quite a long time. And to all of you still waiting for me to send you the lemon, don't worry, I will be getting to it as soon as I can. Cross my heart! Much love and many cookies to all!

Translations:

"jouki" - "dizziness; rush of blood to the head" (Gasp! Coldplay moment)  
"Khasma" - Greek; "gaping hollow" (root of "chasm")


	9. Meian

**Darkening  
**MysticShadowWanderer 

Disclaimer: FUCKING PSYCHIC MONKEYS:ahem:

* * *

Chapter Eight: Meian

* * *

For several long moments that could very well have been an eternity or two –it was plausible, considering the fact that there was the possibility of my being dead– I lay silent, staring at the rough texture of the ceiling, which, I noted, matched the rest of the shack with a brown, monochrome dullness. I decided not to mention my distaste for my current surroundings. The Elder was looking down on me with those deep eyes , waiting in a patient way that can only come from countless years of experience. As I continued my glaring match with a particularly nasty looking crack in the roof, she took it upon herself to breach the quiet. 

"So what's your name, doll?"

I blanked for a moment, and feigned confusion and a possible head injury as I considered my options. Clearly giving her my real name would not be in my best interests, since she'd expressed such hatred for me as the ruling faction, and I was currently unable to move and hadn't tested any of my darkening of yet; an alias seemed more appropriate in the given situation. I was briefly at a loss; in my arrogance, well-deserved arrogance I might add, I had never foreseen the need to have a prepared name in case of such an emergency. What a pity to have been so unwise. I simply gave her the first name that floated through my still slightly hazy mind.

"Kenshin. Did you happen to say that I might be dead?"

"Kenshin... that's an odd name. Yes, there's always the possibility that you've passed on. Hence your ability to be visitin' this place."

"I'm sorry, but I still really haven't the faintest idea of what you're saying."

The wrinkles over her eyes, if possible, furrowed even deeper as she lost herself in though, hopefully in pursuit of the best way to help me reach understanding. I had no desire to remain so perplexed for much longer.

"You see, my dear, only lost souls can come here. I guess that's sayin' that you either have to have no other choice or have to be dead."

My head positively swam; I apparently had not yet fully recovered from my order with the Time.

"I'm just going to... take your word on that..." I trailed off, realizing that I didn't know the woman's name.

"Oh, I'm frightful sorry! I never properly introduced myself! I guess you can't shake my hand... ah well. I am called Dignitas."

Luckily I couldn't move, or I would have raised an eyebrow skeptically. I had no idea how I'd gotten here, or where here was, but at that moment I knew that I could not be in more of a hurry to return to my home, not to mention my woman.

"Tell me... Dignitas... is there any way to tell whether or not I am or am not deceased? It would be a terrible inconvenience to have gone through all that trouble just to have died, it really would."

The old woman chuckled in a most irritating way; the gentle happiness in the sound grated on my nerves. "Well now, there are a few ways." With a swiftness that belied her age, she reached out and smacked me over the head with a sheaf of papers that I hadn't even noticed she was holding. I winced involuntarily and swore loudly.

"What in the hell was that for!" I fairly shouted, though I attempted to control my temper.

Her previous chuckling exploded into full laughter. "Yup, you're still kickin'!"

At that point, I was absolutely lost to what was going on, and when she offered no explanation, I groaned and closed my eyes in a sudden wave of somnolence. Still, I could practically hear her smile as she watched me.

"You'll be needin' your rest to recover fully. Don't worry, love, I'll be takin' good care of you, and you'll be out and about before you know it."

* * *

I cursed under my breath as I lifted the axe over my shoulder and let it fall almost lazily. Despite my lack of attention to my task, the log split perfectly down the center. Dignitas had warned me against using any sort of darkening in the Khasma, but I firmly ignored the half-suggestion, half-command and sped through the work with languid ease. 

"Damn that woman, damn this place, damn it all!" I hadn't been aware that "out and about" would mean "slaving away over a primitive, outdated form of fuel in the blistering heat after having only been able to be out of bed for a single day." On top of my dismay at my current position, I still had no idea how I'd gotten to this place or how I was going to find my way back home.

Dignitas had said something about finding me near some sort of a Sign, but I clearly remembered seeing nothing but unreachable horizon. Had I somehow slipped into a type of distortion of space and time? That seemed very unlikely, considering what I'd learned from my trials; mainly, that Time didn't even exist. So there had to be a reason I was here. Was this where everyone that didn't return from the Time ended up? So far I hadn't seen a single soul besides myself and Dignitas. I refused to let panic of any sort set in. There had to be a way out of this.

"Kenshin!" her voice was quiet yet powerful. "When you're done with the firewood, I've made you something to eat!"

While I harbored an intense hatred for the work that the woman was putting me to –I only did it out of a sense of obligation; she was, after all, feeding and housing me– I had to admit that her food was more than amazing. If only Licentia could learn to cook that way. Then again, that's what the kitchens were for, was it not? Still... there were qualities of Dignitas that I was learning very quickly to have the proper respect for.

* * *

"There's got to be a way to get you home, boy." Dignitas had apparently taken me on as her personal project, which was just as well, since there was next to no activity in this place. 

I merely nodded and mumbled assent around a mouthful of some sort of food that I couldn't identify. It ceased to matter what it was that she fixed, I'd discovered, so long as she made ample amounts of it. Never in my life had I eaten more than I was eating while I stayed with the Elder.

"I know you must be missin' whoever you've got back there. Probably a pretty little girl's waitin' for you, cryin' her eyes out 'cause you've been gone so long."

The smirk that rose to my face at the thought of Licentia lying around, useless and weeping, was wiped away when I remembered her scent and how long it had been since I held her in my arms. How much longer could I be away from her without going insane?

"I think maybe I know someone who could help you..."

* * *

I was panting, just slightly, in the heat that Dignitas appeared to be used to. As soon as I'd woken in the morning, she had insisted that we were to "get up and get to gettin'," which I had to take a moment to comprehend. There was one thing to be said about this woman, cooking aside, when she set her mind to something, it was completely quickly and efficiently. I could admire that.

"Now it's not much further."

It would have been appropriate timing for a snide remark, but I was so grateful that our long trek through what looked like completely uninhabited desert was drawing to a close that I decided to keep my mouth shut about how she'd been saying the exact same thing for roughly an hour and a half, judging by the number of steps I'd taken. Counting, in this case, was not making Time pass any faster, and I sighed with that thought. Of course it wasn't, Time didn't exist. I was beginning to regret this whole process, just because some parts of it seemed to have left my brain permanently bent in places; I was, to put it in humble terms, quite displeased.

* * *

"So this is the boy you've brought me, Dignitas?" 

I recognized that voice, and a shudder ran down my spine.

"Do you know who he is?"

This could not be happening.

"He deserves to die where he stands."

Oh fuck.

* * *

A/N: Haha, this chapter amused me so much. I wanted this story to be all dark, but I'm in the goofiest mood... God knows why. Probably because it's 5.30AM and I haven't slept in 17 hours or something like that. I'd also like to thank Rabsi-Babsy (did I get that right?) for inspiring my to get off my lazy ass and write some more of this story. I realized I was neglecting you guys! Oh, also... I've been having some trouble with my email. Here's the deal (and I really do hate to inconvenience anyone, but alas): If you want the lemon and haven't gotten it yet, even if you emailed/left your email in a review, please please email me and I will send it ASAP! If you left your email in a review, I'm sorry, unless you were signed in and it told me what it was, I can't read the address. And for anyone that emailed/reviewed about it earlier, well... let's just say that the viruses have left my inbox a mess and I simply don't have the time to deal with it, what with transferring schools and looking at colleges. Thanks you guys, for all the reviews and everything, you all rock my freaking world. 

Translations:

"meian" - "light and darkness"  
"Dignitas" - Latin; "worthiness, beauty" (root of "dainty")


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